Sufi Introduction to the 99 Names of Allah and sufi ... - Deen islam
Sufi Introduction to the 99 Names of Allah and sufi ... - Deen islam
Sufi Introduction to the 99 Names of Allah and sufi ... - Deen islam
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Collected by Muhammad Sajad Ali - webmaster – www.deen<strong>islam</strong>.co.uk - 10 th December 2009<br />
The One who veils, forgives or transforms our faults <strong>and</strong> sins in such a manner that we may go on<br />
without guilt or shame. The One who can set aright, or transform, wrong deeds <strong>and</strong> change <strong>the</strong>m<br />
in<strong>to</strong> what become good deeds.<br />
From <strong>the</strong> root gh-f-r which has <strong>the</strong> following classical Arabic connotations:<br />
<strong>to</strong> cover, veil, conceal, hide<br />
<strong>to</strong> pardon, <strong>to</strong> forgive, <strong>to</strong> set aright<br />
<strong>to</strong> cover a thing <strong>to</strong> protect it from dirt<br />
This name is used in <strong>the</strong> Qur'ân. For example, see 40:3<br />
Abû Hâmid al-Ghazâlî said:<br />
Every creature is bound <strong>to</strong> have perfection <strong>and</strong> imperfection, or ugliness <strong>and</strong> beauty, so whoever<br />
overlooks <strong>the</strong> ugly <strong>and</strong> mentions only <strong>the</strong> beautiful is one who shares in this attribute.<br />
Note that <strong>the</strong> root gh-f-r has given rise <strong>to</strong> three Beautiful <strong>Names</strong> that are all used in <strong>the</strong> Qur'ân:<br />
Ghaffâr, Ghafûr <strong>and</strong> Ghâfir. However, only Ghaffâr <strong>and</strong> Ghafûr were included in <strong>the</strong> list <strong>of</strong> <strong>99</strong><br />
<strong>Names</strong> narrated by Tirmidhi.<br />
In Qastalânî's commentary on Bukhârî, it is said that <strong>the</strong> root gh-f-r means a covering or protection<br />
which is ei<strong>the</strong>r between man <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> commission <strong>of</strong> sin [protecting, or watching over], or between<br />
sin <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> effects <strong>of</strong> that sin [forgiving, veiling or concealing].<br />
In al-Nihâyah (a dictionary <strong>of</strong> hadîth), it is said that Ghâfir refers <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> One who protects us from<br />
<strong>the</strong> commission <strong>of</strong> sins, <strong>and</strong> that Ghafûr refers <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> One who forgives our sins <strong>and</strong> faults.<br />
Sheikh Tosun Bayrak portrays <strong>the</strong> differences as:<br />
... al-Ghâfir, <strong>the</strong> veiler <strong>of</strong> our faults from <strong>the</strong> eyes <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r men; al-Ghafûr, who keeps <strong>the</strong><br />
knowledge <strong>of</strong> our faults even from <strong>the</strong> angels; <strong>and</strong> al-Ghaffâr who relieves us from <strong>the</strong> suffering <strong>of</strong><br />
continual remembrance <strong>of</strong> our faults.<br />
The Arabic word astaghfirullâh (sometimes written as astghfrallâh or estaferallah) is from this<br />
same gh-f-r root, <strong>and</strong> is an invocation <strong>of</strong> Divine Protection having a range <strong>of</strong> possible connotations<br />
that include Allâh please forgive me, Allâh please hide away my faults, Allâh please watch over me<br />
<strong>and</strong> protect me from faults.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> lexicon <strong>and</strong> commentary Tâj al-'Arûs it is mentioned that truly asking for forgiveness must be<br />
by both word <strong>and</strong> deed, not by <strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>ngue alone.<br />
The names Ghafûr, Ghaffâr <strong>and</strong> Ghâfir denote forgiving or protecting, while 'Afûw indicates<br />
complete removal or obliteration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> condition.<br />
(Also written as al-ghaffar, al-ghaffaar, <strong>the</strong> All-Forgiving: ya ghaffar, ya ghaffaar)<br />
15. Al-Qahhar- The Subduer , The Ever-Dominating, The Conqueror, The Prevailer<br />
25